Tag Archives: recipe

Gather ingredients and tools. It is such a disappointing feeling to get part-way through a recipe only to discover you don’t have everything you need.

I think I may have a serious addiction. Pumpkins. They really do capture my attention as they are the source of the pure goodness known as: Pumpkin Pie.Welcome to the second part of the pumkin series.

I love pumpkin pie. I could eat it morning, noon, and evening meals….and the occassional 1 a.m. kitchen raid. In fact, when we married, I didn’t want a fluffy, fancy wedding cake. I wanted pie. 🙂 The bridal cake was a pumkin pie, in case you wondered.

“Pumpkin pie, if rightly made, is a thing of beauty and a joy – while it lasts…..Pies that cut a little less firm than a pine board, and those that run round your plate are alike to be avoided. Two inches deep is better than the thin plasters one sometimes sees, that look for all he world like pumpkin flap-jacks. The expressive phrase, ‘too thin’, must have come from these lean parodies on pumpkin pie. With pastry light, tender, and not too rich, and a generous filling of smooth spiced sweetness – a little ‘trembly’ as to consistency, and delicately brown on top – a perfect pumpkin pie, eaten before the life has gone out of it, is one of the real additions made by American cookery to the good things of the world. For the first pumpkin pie of the season, flanked by a liberal cut of creamy cheeses, we prefer to sit down, as the French gourmand said about his turkey: ‘with just two of us; myself and the turkey.'” –‘The House Mother’

So this blog post is a follow-up to the last one. If you remember, we baked pumpkins and saw how easy it is to get to the point of making a pie. (I’m sure you rushed right out and cooked up pumpkins yourself!)

As I type this, I probably should have done a post on the pastry, but oh well, forward motion.

Pumpkin pie is pretty easy too.

Find your recipe. I hope you’ll consider sharing your favorite one with me in the comments! I use one that has become my favorite. It requires simple ingredients….(no milk product from a can). Now, gather your ingredients.

Two basic rules that will really help you enjoy your time in the kitchen is to prepare (premeasure, make sure you have everything) and clean as you go.

One pie pastry. Line the tin, forming the pastry to the pan. Flute the top.

Line your tin with the pie pastry. In these photos, I’m making a smaller pie that will be gifted to a friend so it is in tin that she doesn’t have to get back to me.

Whisk all the dry ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. This such a great recipe for requiring very few tools and bowls.

Now is time for the wet ingredients. But first…Did you preheat that oven? I frequently forget so thought you might like a reminder too. A couple of comments on how I do things. You might do them differently, but am sharing them anyway. I bake my pies on a foil lined cookie sheet to catch drippings. I also bake my pies in the lower part of the oven to direct the heat right onto the bottom pastry so it bakes before getting too soggy.

Add the wet ingredients. With Pumpkin Pie, the usual suspects will be milk, pumpkin, eggs, extract. But your recipe may differ. It is really important to get the eggs thoroughly whisked into the filling. If they are not incorporated well, you will have bits of egg white visible in your baked pie.

I whisk the eggs and pumkin in first. Taking care to get a good blend.

Place your pastry lined pie tin on the cookie sheet now if you are going that route.

Now, pour into the pastry lined tin and pop into the oven! Be sure to double check your recipe for baking time.

I line my crust with foil to prevent overbrowning and to help support the pastry until it bakes some. It is so sad to discover your crust gave way and the filling poured out!

VOILA!

The recipe:

3/4 cup Brown Sugar 1/2 tsp Salt

1 TBSP Flour 3/4 tsp Ginger

1 tsp Cinnamon 1/2 tsp Nutmeg

1/2 tsp Cloves 1 1/2 cups mashed cooked Pumpkin

3 Eggs 1 1/2 cups whole Milk

1 pie tin lined with pastry

Bake at 400 F for 50 minutes

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PUMPKIN PIE RECIPE? Does it have a family history?

Holy cow, it has been a very eventful summer. My apologies to you for a prolonged absence.

We have had twin grandaughters and a grandson born.

We have also learned of another grandchild on the way, and were saddened by the loss of a grandbaby-in-womb.

Our garden has been prolific lately, but as a result of much tending and watering due to the extreme high temps this summer and drought.

Our bed & breakfast, Amanda’s Bequest Bed & Breakfast, in here in Montague, Michigan www.amandasbequest.com has been busy. Certainly for its opening year! We operate as a farmstay and guests are immersed in a real working farm-stle home. They collect eggs and can help churn butter or gather food from the gardens for breakfast if they wish. We have enjoyed many wonderful and diverse guests from all over the world now!! (How cool is that?!) One guest, who was a world traveler, rated us as top two B&B’s in all his travels. Turns out I’m I’m an ok cook. He couldn’t decide who was better, a B&B in Scotland, or us. I have to tell you, I was so dumb-struck at the remark. After all…we are just..us.

Also busy for us has been our Bygone Basics culinary experiences. www.bygonebasics.com People are really wanting to know how to go back to the healthy nutritious foods that were on our predescessor’s tables. I teach them how to use what tools they already have to get that heritage “kitchen is the heart and soul of the home” healthy foods back into their lives and in their “today” lifestyle.

We have had kitchen guests from 7 countries and 44 USA States now.

To top it all off, I’m now a licensed kitchen and am baking and selling heritage recipe and artisan foods. All made to order and by hand from natural foods and basic ingredients (nothing you can’t spell or say!).

We have grown our little flock of hens from 6 to 12…plus a duck…but don’t tell Daisy, she thinks she’s a chicken.

My loving husband has been amazing as our journey has brought us to this kind of activity. He just smiles and builds what I need. 🙂 I wish this kind of a husband on all of our daughters.

Anyway….

My niece Jade is now “apprenticing.” Leaving me with a few hours at the end of the week to blog and do other things that I’ve been too swamped to do. I taught her how to hoe the other day. I told her she was going to be a great hoe-er someday. She laughed. I realized what I said. Too funny. She’s been learning to bake, make pies, artisan breads, hoe, can, make soap…she’s been a treasure of help to me too!

I will “talk” with you soon. Just needed to catch you up on my busy-bee “holy cow, what changes!” summer.

I make a living (or rather am working hard at building a living) from my recipes both food and home art. Creation of good to eat victuals and healthy home products from heritage and/or natural ingredients are a passion for me. It is so thrilling when someone asks for a recipe or how to make a specific soap. What is the saying?

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” (FYI: Charles Caleb Colton originated this in early 1800’s)

Some of my kitchen tools.

But truthfully, it is conflicting. When it is a recipe printed in a cookbook I have, originated in recent times, it seems right to share it. The requester could likely look it up (on the ‘net usually) and by sharing, I enjoy helping that person. Is it right to share out of a cookbook? Is it a disservice to the author of the cookbook?

Here’s were it gets personal. When it is a recipe I have invested a lot of time and resources (failed attempts, come to mind 😉 …my apologies to husband John who has to eat the …umm…less than stellar results). It is a unique recipe and customers are willing to purchase the product I have developed, how should I respond? Is it constructive or detrimental?

After all, I love to be helpful and see the many wonderful people in my days happy.

So I query you. Out of curiosity. Out of a desire to learn and grow.

What is the appropriate response? Many of you are incredible chefs and cookbook authors. I’m just … me.

Back from yet another long trip to Kansas. This time for the funeral. A 43 year old vibrant wife and mother of five passed on Valentine’s day. I really do want to shake my fist and rail at the universe for its injustice to good people. But, while was mentally considering how to do that without getting struck by lightening or something, I baked cookies. (It’s how I wrap my head around things, I bake)

As it turned out, there was therapy in those cookies as well as the realization that I had just been taught a huge life lesson by my sister, Suzanne.

Abraham Maslow said that we could define therapy as a search for value.

I suppose that defines my thoughts this morning. I set to work doing my Bygone Basics’ bakery orders (www.bygonebasics.com) with the very recent death of my brother’s wife, Mary, weighing heavy. Seeking reasons or value to this tragedy.

Toasting the walnuts, tossed with cinamon sugar.

I began by making my special recipe for chocolate cookies. The first thing was to create small walnut pieces out of whole walnuts. I will admit to excessive force. The walnuts were cracked with some malice. Then I put the walnuts in a heavy plastic bag and whammed the heck out of them with a french rolling pin. …Beginning to feel a bit better. 🙂

Next, everything needed to be measured out. The flour, rolled oats, chocolate chips, butter, eggs, spices….By the time I was finished, the concentration on accurate measurement had actually taken my mind to a better place. Of course tasting fresh cookie dough helps too.

By the time the cookies were going on the cookie sheets and being baked, I was thinking more deeply about the recent events. My brother had chosen an unusal passage for his wife’s funeral service. It began “Rejoice Always. …In all circumstances, give thanks,…” (Thes 5:16-24). He had explained that when he was at his lowest point, when it was obvious Mary was slipping away, he heard this passage at Church. It angered him at first, and then, it served to bring him out of a very angry and dark place. It caused him to look around and find that there was still good in his life. His children especially. His family was brought close by this.What did I have to rejoice in?

What gift has Mary’s passing given me?

The example set by my sister, Suzanne. Not too long ago, she lost her own husband to cancer at 41 with a young son at home. It was a long and hard path to (and from) his passing. She endured a lot that I can’t even imagine. Yet, there she was, the first one to understand that our brother was alone several states away and needed help. Placing her job in jeapardy, she made two extended trips to help him. I was blessed to go with her. Even though it caused her to relive her own deep pain, she cared for our sister-in-law with such depth and consideration. She talked with our brother on a level that only those two could understand. She cried at night and was a pillar in the day. She made sure our young nieces had what they needed.

I loved my sister before. But now, I rejoice in the heart and soul of such an amazing woman. Her selfless example of care will live on in me and in my priorities in life.

Add the oats, toasted walnuts and chocolate chips

Such was Suzanne’s lesson for me.

I feel better. The cookies are baked. I’ve had a bit of an epiphany. I even went on to get my french baquette order done and restarted the Sourdough starter.

…..Heck, I might even feel like doing my blog. Hope I don’t get to philisophical….. 😉

By the way…Did I ever tell you that I have started to “Tweet”? Find me at @ApronsRUs. (Yes, it is an odd twitter name, sometimes, I just can’t help myself…my humor is a bit …quirky.)

I would like to apologize. I am a guest blogger today, and I accidentally published something while trying to link. This is why I don’t have much to do with technology 🙂

With Valerie is in Kansas for a week to help with an ill family member, I have the pleasure of being a Guest Blogger for Bygone Basics. First, I’ll introduce myself, and then, I’ll let you read what you came for in peace 🙂

My name is Jessica, and I’m Valerie’s oldest daughter. Mom, jokingly calles me her Scullery Maid. I’ve been helping with the heritage kitchen whenever I can, and I love *almost* every minute of it. (I mean, who truly enjoys the cleanup?)

Waste Not, Want Not

Have you ever thought about all of the trimmings you throw away, or even toss on the compost? I never really did either, but it turns out the answer is: A lot! Recently, Valerie and I stumbled upon a wonderful blog post: Five Packaged Foods You Never Need To Buy Again by Jane Mountain. I’ll be the first to admit that I got a bit carried away in my excitement. My second favorite part of the Bygone Basics is learning how to take food as far as it will go, so the idea of saving the trimmings, bones, and juices really got me excited.

You mean….. I can use garbage to make all the soup I could ever hope for!!?

(For those wondering, my favorite is the health aspect. There’s just nothing like using raw closest-to-nature products, and the only drawback is cost. Hence my excitement!) Imagine my shock when Valerie told me that she already knew all about this. It’s so easy, why weren’t we already doing this? (Her answer was that she found she got great eggs from the chickens by feeding them the trimmings.) I figured we can do both….first make the soup stock and then feed the skimmed off, boiled stuff to the chickens. Worked like a charm! We got four times the product from our food. ate the carrot, peelings and ends went into making stock….and the the chickens got everything strained out of the stock…and we got our eggs. NOTE: chickens didn’t get the bones…those got composted.

A lot of product was gotten out of everyday "trash". This is a shot of our fresh soup stock and some of the day's pasta sauce all canned and ready for the shelves.

After about a week of saving, we had enough to start making a meat/vegetable stock. (I’m still waiting to make just veggie stock. There is much anticipation for a huge mess and a delicious way to squeeze every last drop of goodness out of these vegetables .) It sure isn’t a pretty process, and it takes a lot of time to boil down. But really, we just did other things while it simmered (sure smelled good). I have to tell you, I don’t see any future need to buy soup or bullions.

Now is the time

During the summer, everyone is rushing to get their produce in jars before it spoils. There’s really no time to try out any of the fancy recipes you dream of doing when it’s a race against time. However, winter is the perfect time to start unsealing some of those jars and making that spaghetti sauce, or to try any other experiment you’ve always wanted to try. Such an urge grabbed Valerie just last week, at the same time we were doing the meat stock. She began breaking into some canned basic tomatoes, herbs she’d dried, and threw a few fresh ingredients in there. This is also a great way to turn disappointment into satisfaction. Amanda and myself had messed up a bruschetta recipe…she added that too…a perfect way to put some good use to those still-good tomatoes. The result was a delicious pasta sauce that’s also healthy! (My favorite part.)

Remedy from Ukraine

In December, I returned home from spending a few months in Kiev. I was there teaching English, and honing my Russian language abilities. Of course, I ended up sick a couple of times, and so my host family made me some “tea.” Surprisingly, it was as easy as putting some lemon slices in some hot water, and squishing the juices out of them with a spoon. It went down so nicely. What a great way to give your immune system a boost! This is the time of year when people begin to get sick, and this is a great, simple home remedy to drink before or after you start feeling poorly. Stay healthy!

Contact Valerie today by calling (231) 740-4065, or emailing ICan@bygonebasics.com to ask about the February classes, (click to here check them out) put in an order, or schedule your own Experience. Be sure to visit the newly redesigned (and easier to navigate Bygone Basics website. www.bygonebasics.com

You might not agree, but I think this photo is a thing of beauty. Stock simmering in the back and pasta sauce simmering in the front. I wish you all could have shared in the aroma!

There’s not much that can hold a candle to enlightenment. Sorry. Couldn’t help that pun. January in Michigan causes us to get a bit loopy in the short cold days and lack of sun. 🙂

As a “Kitchenaire” at Bygone Basics (www.bygonebasics.com) I help a lot of people experience kitchens in the way they developed as the heart (and the stomach) of the homes of our establishing country. We do a lot of exploring of old customs and current ones…and the how and why of them. It is a great way to learn our history and culinary heritage.

One question I get a lot is “What is the diference between baking soda and baking powder?”

It is honestly a fabulous question. And certainly due a good answer. The short answer is…Baking powder is baking soda-plus. In other words. Baking powder has baking soda plus other agents that help it leaven in blends that only baking soda doesn’t do as well in.

Some recipes call for multiple leavening ingredients. Crumpets, for example call for yeast to raise the dough like a bread and then a baking soda and warm water solution is added right before cooking.

A bit longer explaination is that baking soda alone does well as a leavener in mixtures that include an acidic ingredient. This could be buttermilk (lactic acid), vinegar, sour cream, molasses, lemon juice and honey (yep honey). BUT….when the recipe requires leavening and there are little to no acidic ingredients, baking powder is your secret weapon. Baking powder is a mixture of baking soda and added acidic ingredients, such as cream of tartar, to help with leavening. Baking powder cannot be used as a single substitution in recipes that call for baking soda. Your recipe will fall flat. (sorry, another pun, I guess, I’m a bit “light” headed) As a rule of thumb, baking soda is used in cookie recipes and baking powder is used in more neutral recipes ( that contain flour, sugar, milk, oil, salt) like cakes and biscuits.

A note on leavening…because I can’t help myself. I looked it up in Wikipedia to see if I could share the knowledge in an easy to understand way. According to that source, there are multiple types of leaveners in food stuffs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leavening_agent).

Biological: Anyone who uses yeast in breads, or makes beer or wine is going to understand the use of microbes and their resulting gas release as part of their life cycle.

Chemical: These are used in everyday modern baking. Baking soda, powders. Used to release carbon dioxide (usually that is the gas) when heat is applied.

Valerie’s note: In the case of baking soda, it begins acting immediately, before heat, (resulting in recipes falling flat if there is a delay in baking)….FYI….this is also where baking powder helps…delayed actions…aka double acting baking powders have an ingredient that waits for the heat of the oven.

Mechanical: Think….meringue. Mechanical leavening is the introduction of trapped air into the ingredients through whipping or whisking.

Steam/air/gas injection: Water is flash expanded into steam in the case of pop-overs. Nitrous oxide is used to “leaven” aerosol “whipped” cream.

There is a leavening agent that isn’t mentioned much anywhere these days. Ammonium Carbonate. It was the predecessor of modern leavening chemicals.

It was mainly used in heirloom recipes of northern Europe and Scandinavia. I have learned that you cannot substitute baking powder or baking soda in these old recipes and get the same light airy results provided by Ammonium Carbonate. One of my husbands favorite childhood memories involves a recipe called Princess Gems. It’s leavening agent is Ammonium Carbonate (aka Baker’s Ammonia or Salt of Hartshorn). I was determined to give him that memory this last Christmas. It took some doing, but I managed to secure some of the historical leavener. Right in the old recipe card are the instructions not to breathe in the fumes from the leavener. (It doesn’t mention not to breathe when you open the oven door when baking them, but that’s another story) The ammonia bakes off in the oven and leaves an incredibly light and melt-in-your-mouth airy cookie.

Does anyone else have an old recipe that called for Ammonium Carbonate? Please, share it with me!!! I am truly fascinated by old recipes and ingredients.

Bygone Basics

Amanda’s Bequest Bed & Breakfast

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Want to participate in heritage kitchen skills? Baking, canning, soap making, candle dipping...and more in a 140 year old home but with a very unique kitchen designed to immerse you in how it was, but equip you with how to go home and repeat what you learned here. Click on the logo above (www.bygonebasics.com)

This is what I do!! Join me. :) It is always fun and a lasting memory.

Drop me a note at ICan@bygonebasics.com to check for scheduling as these sessions are tailored to YOU and YOUR group and are private.

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